Lee had served on Scott's staff during the war with Mexico. Scott was impressed with what he saw.

He said Lee "was the very best soldier I ever saw in the field." Another officer wrote, "Scott had an almost idolatrous fancy for Lee, whose military genius he estimated far above that of any other officer of the army." Scott suggested that in the event of war, the government should insure Lee's life for $5 million a year." (Emory A. Thomas, Robert E Lee: A Biography; New York, 1995)